I had to take Mr. Andy A. Doodle to the emergency vet today, which wasn’t great. The tab ran half a grand, which also wasn’t great. But Mr. Andy is fine, which is great. And I got this vet office selfie out of it, which is also pretty great.
Category: aminals.
Canine maintenance
I am happy to report that the three household doggos passed their annual technical inspection with flying colors. (Left to right: Baby, Andy, and Ygraine a.k.a. Dinky.)
Things a dachshund owner knows, #2,198.
This is why we tell guests and visitors to keep food items on the counters well away from the edges. People underestimate the vertical reach of a determined dachshund.
avian squatters.
These little guys are currently costing me $5 a day. We rented a huge dumpster for our long-overdue major spring cleaning and attic junk culling. It costs a flat amount up front that includes the fee for dumping all the trash, and then $5 per day for every day we keep the dumpster beyond the…
uther hendragon, first of his name.
This painting of Henry was commissioned by my friend Chang for me after Henry died, and he brought it to Castle Frostbite with him when he came to visit not too long ago. I still miss my boy terribly, especially right now. The days are sunny and warm, and the remaining dachshunds are having a…
home.
He’s home among his family again, where he belongs. I feel a little better now.
personal effects.
Henry’s collection of bandanas. He got one every time he had to make a trip to the emergency vet. There are three of them in that picture, but I think there was at least one more I did not keep for some reason. As you can see, he was a little mischief magnet. I am…
losing one’s heart.
Henry’s death is hitting me hard. We’ve lost dogs before, and I grieved for them every time, but this one is a deeper hurt that any of the others. The ones we lost before Henry had been barely born, or they were old and had long and happy lives behind them. Even Sam, my Golden…
how to story, in sixty seconds.
Yeah, it’s a commercial for a beer, but it’s also a perfect master class in storytelling. Setting, characterization, conflict/motivation, peril, emotional climax, satisfying resolution, denouement. Themes: friendship, loyalty, love. All squeezed into one minute. Not a second is wasted on anything that doesn’t drive the narrative.This is how you do Story.
bors, 2000-2014.
Bors, a.k.a. Booger Boy, a.k.a. Elder Dog, is no longer with us. He had a seizure of some sort a week ago, but bounced back to normal very quickly. This morning, it happened again, only there was no bounce. He went quietly in front of the pellet stove, the favorite doggy spot in the winter,…